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Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records, 1966-2011

By Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen.

Collection Overview

Title: Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records, 1966-2011

Predominant Dates: 1990-2010

ID: RG 244

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center

Extent: 2.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records document activities and events sponsored by the Center, Oregon State University students and staff affiliated with the Center, and the campus environment for African-American students at Oregon State since the 1960s. The Black Cultural Center was established at Oregon State University in 1975.

Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Scope and Content Notes

The Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records document activities and events organized by the center such as staff retreats, Kwanzaa celebrations, Soul Food Day, annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, open house receptions, bowling parties, Black History Month Dinners, and lectures by visiting scholars. The collection includes guest books, newsletters, newspaper clippings, photographs, posters, signs, and a scrapbook. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs.

The photographs include about 1100 prints and 500 negatives (primarily color) and depict events and programs at the Center as well as students and staff affiliated with the Center in portrait images and groups photographs. Photographs of displays and exhibits as well as the Center building are included. Digital photographs of Center activities, including a tour of the Center by elementary school children, are stored on three compact discs (CDs) that are part of the collection.

The scrapbook consists primarily of newspaper clippings and copies of clippings documenting Center activities as well as the history of the Center and the 1969 Black Student Union walkout. In addition to OSU-related materials, some of the newspaper clippings pertain to Corvallis City Manager Gerald Seals.

Digitized versions of 4 photograph albums are available online. The albums are for the years 1992-1997 (Album 1), 1997-2001 (Album 2), 2001-2003 (Album 3), and 2003-2004 (Album 4). They include images of open houses at the Center; annual events such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebrations, Kwanzaa, and Black History Month; retreats; the 1996 boycott; Jesse Jackson's visit to Oregon State in 1992; fashion shows; the dedication of Carrie Halsell Hall; and students and staff affiliated with the Center. The original albums have been retained by the Center.

Biographical / Historical Notes

In 1975, the Black Student Union (BSU) received funding from the Oregon State University student government, the Alumni Center, and the local community to open the BSU Cultural Center. The center's name changed in 1981 to the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center (BCC), in honor of the first director of OSU's Educational Opportunities Program. The mission of the Lonnie B. Harris BCC is to complement the academic program of studies and enrich the quality of campus life for African and African-American students at OSU.

Administrative Information

Accruals: Additions to the collection are expected.

More Extent Information: 1,600 photographs; 3 boxes, including 1 oversize box, and 1 map folder

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The materials were transferred from the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center in 2011.

Related Materials: Special Collections and Archives Research Center's collections include the records of the Diversity Development Office Records (RG 228) as well as the Asian & Pacific Cultural Center Records (RG 245) and the Pride Center Records (RG 236). The records of the Educational Opportunities Program Records (RG 230), Office of Multicultural Affairs Records (RG 225), and Minority Education Office Records (RG 229) also document services for non-traditional and minority students at OSU. All of these collections are components of the Oregon Multicultural Archives.

Preferred Citation: Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records (RG 244), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.

Creators

Oregon State University. Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center

People, Places, and Topics

African American college students--Oregon--Corvallis.
College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
Corvallis (Or.)--Politics and government.
Minority college students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Oregon State University--Students.
Oregon State University. Diversity Development Office
Oregon State University. Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
University History

Forms of Material

Born digital.
Compact discs.
Digital images.
Film negatives.
Photographic prints.
Scrapbooks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.